Summer time ends, winter drawers on!

Last Autumn, I uploaded this picture and a few that I had taken in Merrion’s Wood as entries to a photographic contest at the hospital. I didn’t win, but I was a finalist. I went to the presentation at the new hospital and even got a certificate from the mayor. Sorry the picture is in black and white, that’s a technical error I can’t be bothered to fix.

Nothing so exciting has happened this year. I’ve struggled to get decent photos with all the dark skies and persistent rain. Now we have changed from British summer time back to Greenwich mean time, it will be dark nights and cold frosty mornings for the foreseeable future. I will be going to the hospital in a months time for an appointment. I might even see my picture displayed in the Outpatients Department.

I wish the art gallery would have an art competition like that. Just ask people to email pictures in and the best ones from the town, area or even the Black Country could be printed, framed and exhibited. When I went to the hospital for the presentation, there were lots of people there. My friend came and my sister and her partner came. It would be the same at the art gallery, the finalists would invite their friends and family. I saw those idiots from Top Gear last week doing something in an art gallery, playing the fool mostly, but they got a crowd in. So how hard can it be? The art gallery should do student art exhibitions too for the local university; with an art auction at the end. That would be good and make a few quid to help them pay off their student loans or whatever. It would be good if it was pictures and maybe sculptures, they could draw the line at half cows or sheep pickled in formaldehyde.

We had Halloween this week. Some old sod said it was an American import. Trick or treat might be American, but Halloween is a pagan ritual and as English as Granny Smith’s. I bought some apples this week. I know it was a bad year, but they don’t smell like apples. Why don’t apples in the shops, smell like apples? They don’t seem to be ripening either. The bananas ripened too bloody quickly last week.

I am thinking of going to Matalan this afternoon. I want a pair of gloves, because I can’t find mine. I need an umbrella too. I’m considering more pyjamas, except a lot of them are called lounge pants and lounge tops now. If you buy pyjamas you end up looking like someone from a concentration camp. I bought some not long ago and they were really good, so I’ll buy more. I’m thinking of getting a teapot to make my green tea in as well.

We have dark evenings and long dark days to look forward to now for at least six months. It will be broken up a little by Christmas. I should look for Christmas presents while I’m in Matalan this afternoon. It always pays to buy them early, while some prices drop over Christmas, prices of the more popular and in demand stuff, tends to go up. I think Christmas in the UK tends to be different to the rest of the world. I like traditions and resent it being made more commercial. I hate the phrase ‘Happy Holidays’. I shall continue wishing people Merry Christmas, we’re not a Muslim State yet. The politically correct crowd have a lot to answer for sometimes. I don’t mind mistletoe being 3 foot high for disabled people. I won’t pander to any minority that is anti social though and that includes the acronym-loving crowd at the council and the far right hang ‘em and flog ‘em brigade.

We have an election for a police commissioner soon. I should say an overpaid police commissioner. It’s probably better than paying a committee to do the job, but he or she should report regularly to the electorate and be ‘transparent’ and accountable. Whatever that means…

That’s this week’s rant and ramble. There are more blogs on the homepage of a zillion ideas. Got an idea? Please comment…